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2023 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in Iowa

20 Ranked Colleges
1,352 Degrees Awarded
$59,823 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor's

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $70,916 and had an average of $25,426 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 3,004 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,973 and $28,803 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,352 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,980 and $30,839 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer a degree in nursing. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular nursing programs in the United States.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s”.

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mercy College of Health Sciences. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 278 degrees to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Mercy College of Health Sciences

2
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s list. Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 215 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Iowa Nursing Report

3
Allen College crest
Allen College
Waterloo, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Allen College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s list. Allen College is located in Waterloo, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 129 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Allen College Nursing Report

4

Out of the 20 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Upper Iowa University landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Fayette, Iowa, and it awarded 111 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Nursing at UIU

5
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Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mount Mercy University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s. Mount Mercy University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 104 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Nursing at Mount Mercy University

6

Saint Ambrose University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Davenport, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 90 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at St. Ambrose University

7

Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Lamoni, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 73 degrees to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2020-2021.

Full Graceland Lamoni Nursing Report

8
Grand View University crest
Grand View University
Des Moines, Iowa

Grand View University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Nursing at Grand View University

9
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Briar Cliff University
Sioux City, Iowa

Briar Cliff University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking. Briar Cliff is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux City, Iowa. It awarded 50 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Briar Cliff University Nursing Report

10
St Luke's College crest
St Luke's College
Sioux City, Iowa

St Luke’s College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s list. St Luke’s College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Nursing at St Luke’s College

11
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Luther College
Decorah, Iowa

Luther College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decorah, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at Luther College

12
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Northwestern College
Orange City, Iowa

Northwestern College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Orange City, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at NWC

13
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Dordt University
Sioux Center, Iowa

Dordt University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking. Sioux Center, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Dordt University

14

University of Dubuque landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking. UD is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dubuque, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Nursing at UD

14
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Morningside College
Sioux City, Iowa

Morningside College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Nursing at Morningside College

16
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Coe College
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

With a ranking of #16, Coe College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s list. Coe College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 23 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Coe Nursing Report

17
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Clarke University
Dubuque, Iowa

Clarke University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s list. Clarke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dubuque, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Nursing at Clarke

18
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Iowa Wesleyan University
Mount Pleasant, Iowa

Iowa Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #18. Iowa Wesleyan University is a small school located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa that handed out 8 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Iowa Wesleyan University Nursing Report

19

Iowa State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s ranking. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Nursing at Iowa State

20

William Penn University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Iowa for a Bachelor’s list. William Penn University is located in Oskaloosa, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Nursing at William Penn University

Notes and References

References

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